IT’S been a crazy year for Coventry’s first Big Brother contestant Bex Shiner and her 15 minutes of fame is showing no sign of letting up.

This time last year the 21-year-old, a former Coundon Court School pupil, was working as a nursery nurse and enjoying nights out with her friends in Coventry.

Now Bex is getting recognised in the street and has a string of television and magazine projects lined up along with boyfriend Luke Marsden, who she met on the Channel 4 reality show.

But she was delighted to be able to escape her hectic life in London to come back to Coventry to spend Christmas with her family and friends.

She said: “Last year I was working at the nursery and would have been dressing up as Father Christmas for the kids, spending too much money and going out with my friends to JJs over Christmas.

“This year it’s absolutely crazy. It’s great to have money to spend though we’ve gone a bit mad on presents for everyone. But it’s to say thank you to all our friends and family for all their support.

“It’s great to be home. Whenever I get time off I come back to Coventry.

“We don’t know too many people in London and I miss my friends and family. My friends understand they can’t see me as much as before and they try to get to London when they can.”

Bex is now living in a rented London apartment with boyfriend Luke and fellow BB contestant Sara Folino.

She and Luke have been inseparable since they were voted out of the Big Brother house and both are taking advantage of the opportunities they have been given.

Luke, who was two years into a politics degree when he entered Big Brother, said: “I think we realised we’d only get 15 minutes of fame but apparently ours isn’t up yet.

“We’ve done a picture spread in the Daily Star this Christmas and there’s magazine pieces in the New Year.

"Our agent has lined up some exciting things for next year but you’ll have to wait and see what they are.”

Bex admits the only reason she auditioned for the show was because she wanted her 15 minutes of fame and while she has no plans to try and forge a music career said next year she would love to fulfil her dream of singing Yellow Polka Dot Bikini with Timmy Mallett.

She said she is surprised that the buzz around her and Luke continues months after the series ended.

“We expected everything would have died down by now,” she said.

“But as long as we get offers we’ll keep accepting them.

"If people are offering us money for photoshoots then of course we are going to take them. We know this isn’t going to last forever.”

The couple admitted there is a darker side of fame with strangers hurling abuse in the streets or people sending hateful messages to their homes but neither regrets their time in the Big Brother house.

“It was an amazing experience and no amount of money can buy that kind of experience.

"We were isolated for months and then you come out and all these people are chanting your name and waving banners,” Bex said.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen or who has been watching the programme.

“I went in just a normal girl and I came out with millions of people knowing who I was. It was crazy.

“I feel I’ve grown up loads. I’ve had to because of the media world and I’ve had to wise up.”

Despite reports the couple are about to get engaged they both say although the subject has been discussed it is a bit soon.

“We’re waiting to see how much we get offered by OK magazine,” joked Bex.